CBF Issues a Statement on New Amicus Briefs Filed in Support of the Blueprint

CBF Issues a Statement on New Amicus Briefs Filed in Support of the Blueprint

(ANNAPOLIS, MD)���Chesapeake Bay Foundation President William C. Baker issued this statement following the filing of two amicus briefs supporting EPA's Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) and state implementation plans, together known at the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint. One brief was filed late yesterday by the cities of New York, Baltimore, Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. The second was filed last week by Florida conservation groups the Florida Wildlife Federation, the Environmental Confederation of Southwest Florida, The Conservancy of Southwest Florida, and the St. Johns Riverkeeper.

In February attorneys general from 21 states filed a brief opposing the Blueprint, and in support of the Farm Bureau and other large agricultural interests, as well as the National Association of Home Builders.

"These amicus briefs will help achieve clean water in the Chesapeake Bay. They underscore the continuing concern at home and around the country about the damaging ecological, economic, and health impacts of pollution on local waters and the Chesapeake Bays.

"The positive impact of pollution reduction across the six states is unprecedented. There are many eyes watching and supporting the efforts to restore our nation's largest estuary. The Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint is working. Progress is being made, pollution is being reduced, and jobs are being created. We will leave a legacy of clean water for our children and future generations."